[Gymschu]

I am repairing a 4 foot x 4 foot section of ceiling and need some help sorting through all the information on using plaster vs using joint compound. The existing ceiling that I am trying to match has a whirled sanded plaster texture. It is also worth noting have a 1/4 inch or so to fill in in order to be level with the surrounding ceiling. I have the new drywall in place and taped with joint compound. My plan is to do a skim coat using thinned joint compound, followed by a coat of bonding agent and finally a coat of sanded plaster using a sponge to make the texture pattern.

Is that the right sequence, or would it be better to do both layers in one or the other?

Thank you

Check out some of the posts on here from @Clarence Bauer. He’s the resident expert on plaster repair. As a painter, my method would be considered a hack, but it generally has worked for the past 30 years. I simply use enough quickset joint compound to bring it flush then thin down regular joint compound to match the texture. To make it blend better, it’s often best to sand down texture around the patch sort of randomly so that your patch, well, doesn’t look like a patch. The hardest part is matching the texture. You’ll want to practice on some scraps of drywall or cardboard to try and get it right.

 

[Gymschu]

Also, follow Paul Peck on YouTube. He’s one of the best drywallers in the business and he explains patching and matching texture in many of his videos.

 

[Gymschu]

That’s called “skip trowel” texture. The Paul Peck videos will guide you once again. Just be aware that you’ll have to get most of what’s on there now, off. Otherwise, the old texture will telegraph through the new. Sometimes it’s subtle, but other times you can still see the old pattern through the new texture. Just a heads up……

 

[Gymschu]

 

[Gymschu]

“where there seems to be a good amount of the bare drywall/skim coat that shows through. I will look into it again, maybe I am missing something.”

The reason you see some bare drywall with the skip trowel process is that it’s done on new wallboard. The “skip” actually leaves some of the gray of the wallboard showing. This is normal as the ceiling gets painted anyway. In your case, there’s already a coating on your ceiling so there won’t be any gray showing through.